Dear jamesdterry-ga;
Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting question.
As I said, in spite of what your son?s teacher claims to have ?heard?
about the faces on Mt. Rushmore, the answer is NO. Here is an image of
what Gutzon Borglum had hoped to achieve (original models designed by
Borglum himself PRIOR TO the actual carving of the mountain):
MT RUSHMORE ORIGINAL PLAN
http://www.ibcnu2.com/pics--2002-2003/2003-06june/06-22-03mt_rushmore/004-mtrushmore/mt_rushmore033.htm
By these we know for a fact that four, and only four images were ever
considered once the construction design and theme (westward expansion)
has been decided.
According to US National Park service Borglum originally planned to
carve images of Lincoln and Washington from the waist up. In time,
prior to the commencement of the construction effort, he chose to
carve the four faces we see today as busts:
"During the next 2 years, he consumed most of his time raising money
in the East and in perfecting his design. Eventually choosing as his
subjects the faces of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and
Theodore Roosevelt, he believed they would effectively represent not
only the westward expansion of the Nation but also its entire history
from the time of the American Revolution to his own generation."
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/presidents/site55.htm
As you can see, there is no mention of a ?fifth face? or even that one
(anyone) was ever seriously considered. The issue of westward
expansion was the subject of the art and as such no others would
logically have fit anyway. There was however some unfinished
construction plans at the time of Borglum?s death that unfortunatley
was never realized:
?Borglum was planning to inscribe a brief history of the United States
into the mountain alongside the four figures. Even more fantastic, he
had already begun blasting a huge hall of records in the interior of
the mountain. The hall was to be a gigantic room filled with busts of
individuals representing all phases of U.S. history, bronze and glass
cabinets containing historical records carved on aluminum sheets,
artifacts of American civilization, and various works of art. Access
to the hall was to be via an enormous flight of steps rising 400 feet
from a huge granite disk at the base of the mountain.?
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/presidents/site55.htm
Your son?s teacher has shown us that one is never too old to learn.
Below you will find that I have carefully defined my search strategy
for you in the event that you need to search for more information. By
following the same type of searches that I did you may be able to
enhance the research I have provided even further. I hope you find
that my research exceeds your expectations. If you have any questions
about my research please post a clarification request prior to rating
the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating and your final comments
and I look forward to working with you again in the near future. Thank
you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad ? Google Answers Researcher
INFORMATION SOURCES
WHY IS TEDDY ROOSEVELT COMMEMORATED ON MT. RUSHMORE?
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mrushmore.html
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINES USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
MT RUSHMORE
GUTZON BORGLUM |
